ash springs to life

Ash is a particularly badly behaved horse who is in the field next door to us. Spring juices are running in his veins and he has spent most of the day chasing rooks and rabbits in his field. And he doesn't like having his photograph taken or anything/person in his space (defined as the whole field and all surrounding fields).

magnolia magic

the magnolia tree and the cherry are all in full blossom. This is usually the signal for an unseasonal storm and gale force winds, but we will enjoy them while they are still on the tree.

the darling buds of ... May

mayflower (cuckoo flower, milkmaids, smocks, Virgin Mary etc etc) has been about for a couple of weeks, so we know May is here.

no flies on our lichen

the bee like fly on our guardian lion is (probably) the drone fly, a large hive bee mimic.


It was very attracted to the lion for some reason, possibly to do with the lichens growing on the stone.

four dogs and a butterfly

the colourful upper surface of the wings of the orange tip makes it stand out in sharp contrast to the very effective leaf camouflage on the underside of the wings. There were a lot of butterflies about today including a peacock, speckled woods and various whites. Perhaps this year will be better for them all than last year. The title of this blog? You try wild life photography with this lot.

another returnee, chiffchaff serenading the moon

another late spring migrant, the chiff chaff, named for its unrelenting incessant call